JP2008184131A - In-vehicle compression equipment and its control method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide in-vehicle compression equipment capable of making compatible both the highly efficient operation of a compressor and comfortability in a cabin, and a method for controlling the on-vehicle compression equipment. <P>SOLUTION: When engine speed is low, a motor (prime mover) is stopped or rotated at a low rotational frequency and a scroll compressor (the compressor) is stopped or operated at a low rotational frequency. When the engine speed is increased and reaches a high speed region, the motor is rotated at a high rotational frequency and the scroll compressor is operated at a high rotational frequency. Therefore, since the motor is rotated at the high rotational frequency and the scroll compressor is operated at the high rotational frequency only when engine noise is large, the noise of the scroll compressor is not noticeable. As a result, both the efficiency of the scroll compressor and quietness in the cabin can be secured. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-vehicle compression device and a vehicle height adjusting device used for compressing a working fluid supplied to various pressure devices of an automobile, for example.

  In general, an air suspension device (vehicle height adjusting device) of an automobile is supplied with compressed air (working fluid) to each air spring (pressure device, vehicle height adjusting means) when the vehicle is stopped, so that the vehicle body is placed on the road surface. On the other hand, the rise, that is, the vehicle height is increased. Thereby, a road clearance can be expanded and bad road driving | running | working can be improved. Further, during high speed traveling, the compressed air inside each air spring is discharged to the outside of each air suspension device, so that the vehicle body descends with respect to the road surface, that is, the vehicle height is lowered. Thereby, the boarding / alighting property of the said vehicle can be improved and a high-speed stable performance can be improved. Such an air suspension device opens and closes a compression device that compresses air supplied to each air spring and each compressed air supply path for supplying compressed air compressed by the compression device to each air spring. Each suspension valve (solenoid valve) is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Conventionally, a reciprocating compressor (reciprocating compressor) is often used because a compression device combined with an air suspension device is capable of high compression. However, since the reciprocating compressor has a high noise during high-speed operation, it is difficult to ensure comfort in the passenger compartment.

Therefore, it has been studied to configure a compression device using a scroll compressor that is less noisy than a reciprocating compressor, but the scroll compressor has a large fluid loss (compression leakage) due to its structure and low efficiency. . If an attempt is made to generate the high pressure required by the air suspension device, the efficiency is further lowered because of the increased leakage. Although it is possible to increase the efficiency by increasing the rotation speed of the scroll compressor, noise is generated thereby, and this noise is transmitted to the vehicle interior, so that the comfort in the vehicle interior is impaired.
JP-A-6-227234

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides an in-vehicle compression device and a vehicle height adjustment device that can achieve both high-efficiency operation of the compressor and comfort in the passenger compartment. It was made as a purpose.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention described in claim 1 of the present invention comprises a compressor, a prime mover that rotationally drives the compressor, and a control device that controls the rotational speed of the prime mover, In the in-vehicle compression device that compresses the working fluid and supplies the working fluid to a pressure device disposed in the vehicle, the control device is based on data of a detection unit that detects data relating to the engine state or the running state of the vehicle. And the number of revolutions of the prime mover is controlled.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the in-vehicle compression device according to the first aspect, the pressure device is a vehicle height adjusting means disposed between each wheel of the vehicle and the vehicle body.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the on-vehicle compression device according to the first or second aspect, the invention has a tank in which the compressed working fluid is temporarily stored.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the on-vehicle compression device according to any one of the first to third aspects, the compressor is a scroll compressor.
In order to achieve the above object, a fifth aspect of the present invention includes a compressor that compresses a working fluid, a prime mover that rotationally drives the compressor, and a control device that controls the rotational speed of the prime mover. A vehicle height adjusting means disposed in the vehicle and supplied with the compressed working fluid; a tank in which the compressed working fluid is temporarily stored; and pressure detection for detecting the pressure in the tank And a vehicle height detecting device for detecting a vehicle height of the vehicle, wherein the control device is based on data of a detecting means for detecting data relating to an engine state or a running state of the vehicle. When the rotational speed of the prime mover is controlled and the engine rotational speed of the vehicle is in a high rotational speed range or the traveling speed has not reached the high speed range, the pressure is not more than a predetermined value and the vehicle height is not more than a predetermined value. When the prime mover Is operated, the engine speed of the vehicle if the or the traveling speed high speed range reaches the high speed region, the pressure is equal to or activating the motor when it is less than a predetermined value.

Therefore, in the invention relating to the in-vehicle compression device according to the first aspect, since the rotational speed of the prime mover that rotationally drives the compressor is controlled based on the engine state or the running state of the vehicle, for example, the engine state of the vehicle is high. The motor is controlled by the controller so that the compressor is operated at high speed only when the rotational speed range or the running state is the high speed range, that is, when the noise caused by other than the compressor is high. By controlling, the noise of the compressor can be made inconspicuous. Thereby, it is possible to ensure the efficiency of the compressor and the quietness in the passenger compartment, particularly the quietness in the passenger compartment when the engine speed or traveling speed of the vehicle is in the middle / low speed range or the middle / low speed range.
The invention relating to the in-vehicle compression device according to claim 2 suppresses generation of noise caused by the compressor in an air suspension device (vehicle height adjusting device) including an air spring (vehicle height adjusting means), for example. be able to. Further, the efficiency of the air suspension device (vehicle height adjusting device) can be improved.
Moreover, since the invention which concerns on the vehicle-mounted compression apparatus of Claim 3 has a tank in which the compressed working fluid is stored temporarily, the time of supply of the working fluid to a pressure apparatus and the time of rotation of a motor are made different. be able to.
Moreover, although the invention which concerns on the vehicle-mounted compression apparatus of Claim 4 is inferior in the point of efficiency compared with a reciprocating compressor, since a scroll compressor is very low noise, even if an engine is idling, for example The air supplied to the actuator can be compressed without worrying about noises by rotating the scroll compressor at a mid-low range.
Further, in the invention related to the vehicle height adjusting device according to claim 5, the prime mover is not operated in principle in a situation where noise other than the compressor generates noise, but the tank pressure is set to a pressure required for vehicle height adjustment. By operating the prime mover only when it is not reached, the quietness can be maximized without sacrificing functionality.

  According to the invention relating to the in-vehicle compression device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 and the vehicle height adjusting device according to claim 5, it is possible to achieve both high-efficiency driving of the compressor and comfort in the vehicle interior. An in-vehicle compression device and a vehicle height adjustment device can be provided.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, an air suspension device (vehicle height adjusting device) and an in-vehicle compression device 1 used therefor will be described. In FIG. 1, schematic structure of the air suspension apparatus containing the vehicle-mounted compression apparatus 1 of this embodiment is shown. As shown in the figure, the air suspension device includes air springs 2 to 5 (pressure device, vehicle height adjusting means) disposed between the vehicle body and the wheels, and air springs 2 to 2. Vehicle-mounted compressor 1 that compresses air supplied to the vehicle 5, suspension valves 6 to 9 that open and close compressed air supply passages that connect the vehicle-mounted compressor 1 and the air springs 2 to 5, and vehicle-mounted compression A high-pressure tank 10 (tank) filled with compressed air (working fluid) compressed by the device 1; a solenoid valve 11 for opening and closing a compressed air supply path connecting the high-pressure tank 10 and the vehicle-mounted compressor 1; It comprises. The high-pressure tank 10 includes a pressure sensor (pressure detection means) (not shown) that detects the pressure of the internal air.

The in-vehicle compression device 1 is constituted by a microcomputer, and is a control device to which a vehicle height sensor, an engine speed sensor, a vehicle height changeover switch, a boarding / alighting mode switch, a vehicle height control switch, and the like installed for each wheel are connected. 12, a scroll compressor 14 (compressor) in which the air purified by the filter 13 is compressed, and a motor 15 (rotation drive is controlled based on a control signal of the control device 12 to rotate the scroll compressor 14. Motor), a dryer 16 that dehumidifies compressed air compressed by the scroll compressor 14 (hereinafter simply referred to as compressed air), and opening / closing is controlled based on a control signal from the control device 12, and compressed air is supplied as necessary. And an exhaust valve 17 for exhausting to the atmosphere. The control device 12 is connected with a vehicle height sensor (vehicle height detection means) for each wheel that detects the vehicle height of the vehicle, an engine rotation speed sensor (detection means) for detecting the engine rotation speed, and various switches. These sensors and switches are integral with the control device 12. In the figure, for the sake of convenience, the control device 12 is shown outside the portion surrounded by the dotted line indicated by reference numeral 1.
When raising the vehicle height by using the air suspension device, the exhaust valve 17 is closed and the solenoid valve 11 and the selected suspension valves 6 to 9 are opened, so that compressed air is supplied from the high-pressure tank 10 and the in-vehicle compressor 1. By supplying the selected air springs 2 to 5, the selected air springs 2 to 5 are extended.

  On the contrary, when lowering the vehicle height, the solenoid valve 11 is closed and the exhaust valve 17 and the selected suspension valves 6 to 9 are opened, and the compressed air inside the selected air springs 2 to 5 is supplied. By exhausting the air from the exhaust valve 17 to the atmosphere, the selected air springs 2 to 5 are shortened.

  Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described based on the time chart shown in FIG. First, the engine is started at time (t0). When the engine speed is in an idling state, the vehicle height increase switch is turned on (for example, by the driver's operation) at time (t1), the vehicle height begins to increase, and the vehicle height increases as the vehicle height increases. The pressure in the tank 10 decreases. Simultaneously with the pressure drop of the high-pressure tank 10 (time (t1)), the motor 15 (prime motor) is rotated at a low rotational speed, and the scroll compressor 14 (compressor) is operated at a low rotational speed with low noise. Even after the vehicle height increase is completed, the motor 15 is rotated at a low rotation speed, and the operation at a low rotation of the scroll compressor 14 is continued. Thereby, the high pressure tank 10 is filled with compressed air at a low filling speed.

  When the vehicle starts at time (t2) and the engine speed reaches a predetermined speed (high speed range) at time (t3) as the vehicle travel speed increases, the motor 15 (motor) is turned on. The scroll compressor 14 (compressor) is operated at a high rotational speed by rotating at a high rotational speed. Thereby, the scroll compressor 14 can be operated with high efficiency, and the compressed air is filled into the high-pressure tank 10 at a high filling speed, and the filling is completed in time (t4). Then, the motor 15 is stopped simultaneously with the completion of the filling of the high-pressure tank 10 to stop the operation of the scroll compressor 14. When the engine speed increases and reaches a predetermined speed (time (t3)), the vehicle height lowering switch is turned on (for example, by the driver's operation) and the vehicle height starts to decrease. Then, when the vehicle height reaches a predetermined height, the descent of the vehicle height is stopped and the vehicle height is maintained.

  Next, at time (t5), the engine is idling, that is, the vehicle is stopped, and at time (t6), the vehicle height raising switch is turned on, and when the vehicle height starts to rise, the vehicle height rises. As a result, the pressure in the high-pressure tank 10 decreases. Simultaneously with the pressure drop of the high-pressure tank (time (t6)), the motor 15 (prime motor) is rotated at a low rotational speed, and the scroll compressor 14 (compressor) is operated at a low rotational speed with low noise. Even after the vehicle height increase is completed, the motor 15 is rotated at a low rotation speed, and the operation at a low rotation of the scroll compressor 14 is continued. Thereby, the high pressure tank 10 is filled with compressed air at a low filling speed.

  Then, the vehicle starts again at time (t7), the engine speed increases as the vehicle travel speed increases, and at time (t8), the engine speed reaches a predetermined speed (high speed range). Then, the motor 15 (prime mover) is rotated at a high rotational speed, and the scroll compressor 14 (compressor) is operated at a high rotational speed. As a result, the compressed air is compressed at a high speed by the scroll compressor 14, the high pressure tank 10 is filled with the compressed air at a high filling speed, and the filling is completed in time (t9). Then, the motor 15 is stopped simultaneously with the completion of the filling of the high-pressure tank 10 to stop the operation of the scroll compressor 14.

This embodiment has the following effects.
According to the present embodiment, when the engine speed is low, the motor 15 (prime motor) is stopped or rotated at a low speed, and the scroll compressor 14 (compressor) is stopped or operated at a low speed, and the engine speed is increased. Rises and reaches the high rotational speed range, the motor 15 is rotated at a high rotational speed, and the scroll compressor 14 is operated at a high rotational speed.
Therefore, when the engine speed is low, that is, when the engine noise is low, the scroll compressor 14 (compressor) is operated with low noise, and only when the engine speed increases, that is, when the engine noise is high, scrolling is performed. The compressor 14 is operated at a high speed, in other words, the scroll compressor 14 is operated at a high speed by rotating the motor 15 at a high speed only when the engine noise is high. The noise of 14 is not conspicuous and can be operated with high efficiency.
As a result, the efficiency of the scroll compressor 14 (compressor) and the quietness of the vehicle interior, particularly the quietness of the vehicle interior when the engine speed or traveling speed of the vehicle is in the mid-low speed range or the mid-low speed range. Can be secured. And since the driving | running condition of the vehicle-mounted compression apparatus 1 with very high efficiency can be obtained, while the filling time of the high-pressure tank 10 is shortened, the power consumption of the said vehicle-mounted compression apparatus 1 can be reduced.

In addition, embodiment is not limited above, For example, you may comprise as follows.
The engine speed sensor in FIG. 1 may be replaced with a vehicle speed sensor, and the in-vehicle compressor 1 may be controlled by replacing the engine speed in FIG. 2 with a vehicle speed (vehicle traveling speed). In this case, if the idling state of the engine is regarded as the vehicle speed 0 in FIG. 2, the control is the same as in the above embodiment. . The engine speed sensor and the vehicle speed sensor detect the engine state and the running state, respectively, and estimate a state in which noise due to causes other than the compressor is large. Therefore, the above sensor can be substituted with a sensor that can detect other engine conditions or driving conditions. For such a sensor, it is assumed that the longitudinal acceleration sensor (the higher the front acceleration, the higher the engine rotation and the higher the noise). ), Accelerator pedal sensor (engine speed increases as the pedal is depressed), throttle sensor (engine speed increases as throttle opening increases), wheel speed sensor (vehicle speed increases as wheel speed increases), etc. Is mentioned.
Further, the compressor need not be limited to the scroll compressor 14, and may be, for example, a reciprocating compressor, a screw compressor, or a rotary compressor.
Further, in the present embodiment, the case where the in-vehicle compression device 1 is incorporated in an air suspension device (vehicle height adjustment control device) has been described. However, the in-vehicle compression device 1 is incorporated in an in-vehicle device in which fluid is used to drive other actuators. An in-vehicle device may be configured.
In this embodiment, the working fluid is air, but this may be another compressive fluid.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the in-vehicle compression device 1 may be configured without using the high-pressure tank 10. In this case, the pressure control valve 18 is disposed in a portion upstream of the suspension valves 6 to 9 in the compressed air supply path. Further, in this case, when the vehicle height raising switch is turned on, it is necessary to always rotate the prime mover 15 because there is no tank. However, when the engine rotational speed is low, the rotational speed of the prime mover 15 is reduced to reduce the engine speed. When the number is high, the noise generated by the compressor 14 can be made inconspicuous by performing control to increase the rotational speed of the prime mover 15.

  In the above embodiment, when the engine speed is in the low speed range, the motor 15 (prime motor) is rotated at a low speed and the scroll compressor 14 (compressor) is operated at a low speed with low noise. As shown in FIG. 4, when the vehicle height increases at time (t1), the pressure of the high-pressure tank 10 decreases, and even if the pressure of the high-pressure tank 10 becomes zero, the motor 15 is not rotated. When the engine speed reaches the high speed range at time (t3) without operating the machine 14 (time (t3)), the motor 15 is rotated at the high speed and the scroll compressor 14 is rotated at the high speed. You may control the vehicle-mounted compression apparatus 1 so that it may drive | operate. In this case, it is possible to further reduce the noise in the vehicle interior when the engine speed is in the low engine speed range and improve the comfort in the vehicle interior. In addition, it is possible to use a motor with a constant rotational speed, and the system cost can be reduced.

It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the air suspension apparatus containing the vehicle-mounted compression apparatus of this embodiment. It is a time chart figure of the control method of the in-vehicle compression device of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the aspect of the air suspension apparatus containing the vehicle-mounted compression apparatus of other embodiment, especially the air suspension apparatus which does not have a high pressure tank. It is a time chart figure of the control method of the in-vehicle compression device of other embodiments.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Car-mounted compression apparatus (except a control apparatus), 2-5 Air spring (actuator), 12 Control apparatus, 14 Scroll compressor (compressor), 15 Motor (prime mover)

Claims (5)

A compressor,
A prime mover that rotationally drives the compressor;
A control device for controlling the rotational speed of the prime mover,
In a vehicle-mounted compression device that compresses a working fluid and supplies the working fluid to a pressure device disposed in a vehicle.
The on-vehicle compressor characterized in that the control device controls the number of revolutions of the prime mover based on data of a detecting means for detecting data relating to an engine state or a running state of the vehicle. The in-vehicle compression device according to claim 1, wherein the pressure device is a vehicle height adjusting means disposed between each wheel of the vehicle and the vehicle body. The in-vehicle compression device according to claim 1, further comprising a tank in which the compressed working fluid is temporarily stored. The in-vehicle compression device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the compressor is a scroll compressor. A compressor for compressing the working fluid;
A prime mover that rotationally drives the compressor;
A control device for controlling the rotational speed of the prime mover;
Vehicle height adjusting means disposed in a vehicle and supplied with the compressed working fluid;
A tank in which the compressed working fluid is temporarily stored;
Pressure detecting means for detecting the pressure in the tank;
In a vehicle height adjustment device having vehicle height detection means for detecting the vehicle height of the vehicle,
The control device controls the number of revolutions of the prime mover based on data of detection means for detecting data relating to an engine state or a running state of the vehicle;
When the engine speed of the vehicle is not in the high speed range or the traveling speed has not reached the high speed range, the prime mover is activated when the pressure is below a predetermined value and the vehicle height is below a predetermined value. Let
A vehicle height adjusting device that operates the prime mover when the pressure is equal to or lower than a predetermined value when the engine rotational speed of the vehicle reaches a high rotational speed range or a traveling speed reaches a high speed range.

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